Menopause is not one experience, so support cannot be one document. Here is what practical help looks like for managers and HR teams, and why the question is becoming more pressing as menopause action plans approach.
Why is menopause not one experience?
Menopause at work is easy to acknowledge and harder to support. A policy can be published and an awareness day can be held, yet neither tells a manager what to say when a reliable team member starts missing deadlines and mentions, almost in passing, that she has not slept properly for months. That moment, rather than the policy, is where support is won or lost.
The symptoms, timing and circumstances of menopause differ from person to person. While government guidance says that menopause is typically experienced between the ages of 45 and 55, CIPD's 2023 research on menopause in the workplace found that 73% of women aged 40 to 60 who are currently in employment had experienced symptoms related to the menopause transition.
Of that estimated 1.2 million people, over a quarter said menopause had a negative impact on their career progression. That figure increased to 36% for those with a disability or long-term health condition compared with 24% for those without one.
What are the limits of a workplace menopause policy?
The same CIPD report found that less than a quarter of respondents said their organisation had a menopause policy or other support in place. Among the support that does exist, written policies and support networks are the most common, yet flexible working and the ability to control temperature were seen as the most helpful.
Picture how that plays out: An employee notices that her symptoms are affecting her concentration but is unsure whether to raise it. Her manager senses a change but worries about saying the wrong thing, so they say nothing. A GP appointment takes weeks to arrange, and when the conversation finally happens, nobody is certain which adjustments are reasonable or who can advise.
The problem is not that the policy is wrong – it is that a policy cannot hold a conversation.
What does practical support for menopause at work look like?
Three things are key for successful support, and a single document cannot deliver any of them alone.
Informed managers
CIPD urges employers to train line managers so they understand menopause symptoms and the support available and can hold sensitive, one-to-one conversations. Much like with absence management, managers do not need to be clinicians, but they do need to know how to listen and where to go next.
Flexible conversations
Because experience varies, it is more useful to ask what would help this person in this role, not which standard adjustment to apply. Flexible or hybrid work adjustments are a common starting point, but the aim is to establish an open conversation that can be revisited as symptoms change.
Clinical expertise
Government guidance on offering occupational health advice for employees experiencing menopause suggests managers and HR work with an occupational health provider to address any clinical questions they may have. Choosing to utilise a specialist menopause service to advise both individuals and their managers can provide even more value to your organisation.
Why is this becoming an issue for employers?
Expectations around this topic are rapidly changing. Under the Employment Rights Act 2025, employers with 250 or more employees can publish voluntary equality action plans from April 2026, and, subject to legislation, these become mandatory from spring 2027. Each plan must include at least one action that supports employees experiencing menopause. The government's list of suggested actions includes manager training, occupational health advice and workplace adjustments.
It also has a direct impact on your workforce. According to CIPD, around one in six women (17%) have considered leaving work due to a lack of support in relation to their menopause symptoms, with a further 6% having left. This rises to 24% and 8% respectively among those with a disability or long-term health condition.
Awareness opens the door; support is what happens next
While menopause awareness makes it easier for an employee to speak and for a manager to listen, menopause support suggests what they can do about it. The strongest approaches marry the two to produce a result: an adjustment, a clinical view, a follow-up.
What would happen if an employee in your organisation told their manager tomorrow that menopause symptoms were affecting their work? Would the manager know where to go next? Or would the employee be left to manage a fragmented workplace health pathway on their own?
Square Health’s integrated approach to workplace health
Square Health provides doctor-led, integrated workplace health that connects clinical access, occupational health, absence support and case management in one coordinated model. Services are modular, so employers choose the combination that suits their workforce. The model can include occupational health, with manager guidance and workplace assessments, GP consultations, mental health support and health screening all in one convenient app.
Contact Square Health to discuss how we can tailor our integrated workplace health solutions to fit your business.
